(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a carrier apparatus for carrying packages or any other object having a cord attached thereto or loop type handles provided thereon for engaging in the carrier apparatus of the invention. In particular, the present invention relates to a carrier apparatus that is easily attached to and removed from a cord attached to an object such as, but not limited to, a binding cord of a package, or cord or plastic loop handles of a shopping bag, and provides a rigid carrier or holder on the package or bag handles that fits comfortably in the palm of a user's hand.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Shopping bag and package carriers or holders have been known in the prior art for some time. Examples of prior art carriers and holders are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 480,618 of Palmer; U.S. Pat. No. 709,936 of Stewart; and U.S. Pat. No. 2,519,186 of Herbert et al. Objectives of package carriers and holders of the type disclosed in the above referred to patents are to provide a simple device that is readily applied to the binding strings or cords of a package or shopping bag, to comfortably carry the package or shopping bag to which they are attached, and to avoid being accidentally detached from the package or shopping bag when in use.
However, each of the carriers and holders described in the above-referred to patents are disadvantaged in that they must be attached to the cords of the packages or shopping bags in a set orientation of the carriers or holders relative to the packages or bags. If the carriers or holders deviate from their required orientations relative to the packages or bags to which they are attached, they could possibly become accidentally detached from the packages or bags.
What is needed is an improved shopping bag or package carrier that may be easily attached to a cord or cords secured to an object such as the cords of a package or shopping bag, and is not required to be maintained in any particular orientation relative to the object, package or bag to avoid it being accidentally detached from the object, package or bag. Such an improved carrier would eliminate the need for maintaining the carrier in a set orientation relative to the object, package or bag when in use.